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(N 0 Model.) 2 sh eets sheet 2. J. L. PHILLIPS.

THRASHING MACHINE. No 257,753. Patented May 9, 1882.-

N. ET PllcloLilhognwenWuhin tM. .c.

V UNITED "STATES PATENT ()FFiCE.

'ITHRA'SHING-TMACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,753, dated May 9, 1882.

' Application filed April '1, 1882. we model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAsoN LPHILLIPs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Teprovements in Thrashing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide.

means whereby the raising and lowering of the concave can be efi'ected easily and instantly by the person feeding without necessitating his stopping the feed.

1 In thrashingmachines a heater is usually employed to lighten up the straw and spread it over the carrier, so as to allow the grain'to readily separate therefrom.

Another object of my invention is to dispense with the use of said beater and to devise simpler and more effective means for at taining such result.

Afurther object is to improve the arrangementof carriers and their mode of operation; also, to construct the fan-case so that it can be readily taken apart in order to admit of the fan beingrepaired also, to provide an improved blast-regulator, all as hereinafter described, and shown in the drawings, in which- Figure 1. is a longitudinal vertical section of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a somewhat smaller scale. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the concave and its ad'- justing mechanism. Fig. 4 represents one of the front sections of the main frame detached. Fig. 5represcnts the two parts of the fan'- case. Fig.6 illustratesthe spring-fingers, and Fig. 7 shows one of said fingers on an enlarged scale. Fig. 8 illustrates the blast-regulator, and Fig. 9 shows one of the adjustable bearings for the upper shaftof one of the carriers.

In this machine the main frame for supporting theseveral operative parts is composed, as usual,rof the side boards and rails, A A, the stanchions A and a suitable base upon which the standardsare mounted.

or unhinged end of the concave being next to B indicates the thrashing-cylinder, and O a the feed end of the machine. This tilting concave rests upon thelower and inner ends of a pair of levers, D, which are fulcrumed upon cumseh, in the county of Johnson and State ofNebraska, havelnvented newand useful Imahorizontal bar, d, of the main frame.

. In order to raise or lower the concave, I provide a swinging bail, (1, against which the .upper ends of the levers are held by reason of the tendency of the concave to depress their lower ends. This bail is received in a series of notches, (1 in thelevers, so that by swinging the bail and shifting its position in the series of notches the concave can be held in a determinate adjustment relatively to the thrashing cylinder. swung out toward the feed end of the machine the upper ends of the levers will be allowed to rise, and hence the weight of the concave will depress'their lower inner ends; but when the bail is swung inwardly itwill bear down upon and cause a reverse movement on the part of the levers, and thereby raise the concave. The inclined chute or feed-table E is pivoted at its 'upper end, and at its lower end. rested upon the concave. Hence, when the latteris raised or allowed to drop the Feed-table will be correspondingly tilted, and by such means thcfeed can be readily regulated.

The feed-table and the bail are both pivotally connected to the two detachable sections E of the main frame, that are located at the feed end of the machine. Thesedetachable sections each comprise a vertical side board, 0, and a horizontal top rail, c, the latter being formed with a mortise, 6 for receiving a tenon on one of thestanchions,and also being formed at its inner end with a tenon, c, which is received in a mortise in another one of the said stanehions. This construction allows, ready access to the operative parts just described, so that they can be repaired when necessary. The cover E that is over thethrashing-eylinder, is hinged so thatitcan be raised when access to the thrashing-cylinder is desirable.

F indicates the curved longand'shorttingers that are employed in place of the customary heater. These fingers are made of steel or other elastic material and curved downwardly at their outer ends, their shank portions being preferably formed with one or more coils or twists, f, and then secured in a horizontal bar, ff, located at the top of the frame.

The spring-fingers, which are arranged in Thus when the bail is rear of the thrashing cylinder and concave,

extend over the middle portion of the slotted carrier G, and are made to alternatein length, as shown, so as to more effectively spread the straw upon the carriers and allow the thrashed heads to pass. By this construction the straw, as it is violently projected from the cylinder againstthespring-fingers,will by reason of their vibration be properlythrown upon the carrier and lightened up to allow the grain to fall out.

G indicates the usual inclined grating that is located at the rear of the concave. This grating rests upon a horizontal cross-bar, g, and is hung at the front upon the rod 0, on which the concave is suspended.

An ordinary apron, H, is hung abov h carrier G and in rear of the spring-fingers.

In this machine I have provided the extra draper or slatted straw-carrier G, for carryi g ott' the straw and throwing the same upon th rear slatted carrier, I, which in turn trans its it to the stacker at the rear of the machine, This extra carrier Gr is driven by the lower endless slatted carrier, K, which is employed .for lifting the grain from the well It, the two carriers being arranged in juxtaposition, as shown, so that as the carrier K is driven so as to sweep the incline K its slats will successively act upon the slats ot' the carrier G, and

thereby cause the latter to travel in a reverse direction. Hence, while the upper leaf of the carrier G is moving rearwardly, so as to convey the straw to the rear carrier, I, the lower leaf of the carrier R will be ascending the incline and lifting the grain from the well.

An inclined platform or bottom board, G of suitable width, extends transversely'across the machine, and is located between theleaves of the endless carrier G. This platform, which is close to the upper leaf, is employed to check any tendency on the part of the straw to a downward and endwise movement, and will support the same until it is properly taken by the carrier, thereby enabling the latter to carry and deliver the straw to the next carrier in good shape.

The rear end of the straw-carrier Gr is elevated considerably above the rear carrier, 1, whereby the straw, in falling from the former to the latter, will be well shaken up, and hence the grain allowed to drop out.

An inclined platform, I, is arranged within the rear carrier, I, in the same way and for the same purpose as the platform which is arranged withinthe first straw-carrier, G, and the-said rear. carrier, I, traverses an incline, F, that is supported by the main frame.

In order to tighten up the carrier 1, when required, I journal its upper roller-sh aft in adjustable bearings 1, which are arranged to slide in slots 1 that are formed in the inclined bars 1 of. the main frame at the rear end of the machine. The said bearings are adjusted by means of nuts upon the screw-threaded rods 1*,which connectwith the bearin gs and project through the upper ends of the inclined bars.

The hearings K of the lower rollenshaft of the carrier K are also adjusted in a similar way, the screw-threaded rods in this instance passing through the stanchions at the front end of the machine.

The fan-case L of the fan L is made in two sections, 1 I, so that either or both sections can be readily removed in order to permit access to the fan for purposes of repair.

It will be obvious that each section can be provided with abase portion, which may be detachahly secured by bolts or screws to the main frame of the machine. Hence, in removing these sections it will not be necessary to break up the fan-case, as heretofore.

The yihratory shoe M, which is suspended from the main frame by the links or flexible straps m, is given a lateral vibration by means of the rod that connects with an arm, m, upon a vertical rock-shaft. This rock-shaft M is in turn actuated by a connecting-rod, N, that is connected with a wrist-pin'upon a belt-pulley, a, fixed on the upper roller-shaft, a, of the carrier which hits the grain from the well.

In order to regulate the blast from the fan with reference to the kind or condition of the grain, provide a draft-regulator, 0, which consists of aboard hinged in the front end of the shoe over the opening in the fan-case and just below a-short incline, M, in the shoe. This hinged board is raised or lowered by a rod, 0, that is supported in the main frame and provided with a handle, 0 by means of whichit can be conveniently turned, said rod being formed at or about its middle with a crankarm, 0 which connects with the hinged board, so that by turning the rod the board can be raised or lowered over the opening in the fancase and the blast thereby regulated. The rod 0 can either be supported in yielding hearings or it can be arranged to slide in the same when the shoe is shaken.

The grain which is lifted from the well by the endless slatted carrier K is discharged onto the incline M of the shoe, and from thence passes down onto the screen P, where the blast from the fan meets it and blows the chaff over the end of the shoe, the grain falling onto the bottom of the shoe and the heavier tailin gs and unthrashed heads passing over the screen and falling into the inclined trough I in the shoe, which conveys them to the elevator.

The cleaned grain is carried down along the bottom of the shoe by reason of the shake of the shoe and the inclination given to its bot tom, and it is further aided in its passage to the discharge-spout Q by the blast from the fan. This discharge-spout, which is formed in or rigidly secured to the bottom of the shoe, is

provided with a false bottom, q, that is pivoted in the middle of the spout, so that it can E,'is driven by the stacker-shaft R, which is mounted at the rear end of the machine and provided with suitable belt-pulleys for the belting employed to operate the stacker.

It will be seen that all of the mechanism back of the fan is driven from one heavy shaft, 02., which shaft also constitutes the 'npper roller-shaft of the carrier K.

Power is applied to the shaft bof the thrashing-cylinder, which by means of suitable pulleys and belt-connections drives the shaft a and the fan-shaft L. The said shaft a drives the endless carrier K, which in turn actuates the straw-carrier G in the manner already de scribed. This shaft n also serves to drive by properly applied belting the stacker and elevator-actuating shaft R and the shaftt', which impels the straw-carrier .l, audit also imparts the requisite shake or lateral vibration to the shoe by means of the connecting-rod N, which connects with a wrist-pin upon the belt-pulley a and with a crank-arm, a upon the top end of the vertical rock-shaft adapted to actuate the shoe, as hereinbefore described.

It will thus be seen that the driving mechanism is greatly simplified, and that the large number of shafts, driving-belts, and gearing usually employed is obviated.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, in a th rashing-machine, of the feed-board," the hinged concave, the le' vers for adjusting the same, and the swinging bail for actuating the levers, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the hinged concylinder so that the grain, as it is thrown back by thelatter, shall strike the fingers and be thereby spread upon the carrier, substantiall y as described.

4. The combination of the fan, the framework of the machine, and the fan-case composed of the two sections Z, detachabl y secured in the main frame of the machine, substantially as described.

'5. The combination, with the shoe and the fan, of the blast-regulator O, the incline M, and a rod, 0, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the grain-Well and board it, the slatted carrier-belt K, for lifting the grain from the well, and the slatted strawcarrier belt Gr, engaged and driven by the said carrier K, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereun to set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JASON L. PHILLIPS.

Witnesses:

T. APPEGER, W. L. DUNLAP. 

